January 7th

OKPOSO SENT TO AHL

The New York Islanders assigned top prospect Kyle Okposo to their American Hockey League affiliate on Sunday.
Okposo, fresh off a solid run for the United States at the world junior hockey championship, will practice with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Thursday before making his pro debut against the Binghamton Senators on Friday.

The 19-year-old winger from Minnesota, selected seventh overall by the Islanders in the 2006 NHL draft, tallied a goal and added five assists in seven games for an American team that finished fourth at the world juniors tournament in the Czech Republic.

Okposo signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders last month after he left the University of Minnesota.
In just over a year at Minnesota, Okposo scored 26 goals with 25 assists in 58 games. As a freshman, he had 19 goals and 21 assists in 40 games.


NHL INVESTIGATES DOWNIE'S PUNCH ON BLAKE

Playing in just his fourth NHL game since serving a 20-game suspension for a pre-season hit on Ottawa's Dean McAmmond, Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie hit Toronto winger Jason Blake - who was being held by an official - in the face with what replays looked like a possible sucker-punch over the weekend.

Blake didn't sustain any structural damage to his eye, but the hit left him with a golf ball-sized welt under his left eye, and as a precaution didn't return in Saturday's game.

While Downie received a minor penalty for the punch, the NHL is investigating the incident, which is the latest for a Flyers team that has been hit with 52 games in suspensions this season.

So far this season, the Flyers have had five players punished for on-ice acts of violence.

Downie got 20 games for a head shot on McAmmond in the pre-season, Jesse Boulerice got 25 games for a crosscheck to the head of Vancouver's Ryan Kesler, defenceman Randy Jones got two games for a hit from behind on Boston's Patrice Bergeron, forward Scott Hartnell got two games for hitting Boston's Andrew Alberts' head into the boards when the player was on his knees and defenceless, and Riley Cote took a three-game suspension for a high head-shot on Stars defenceman Matt Niskanen.


CANADA WINS GOLD, RUSSIA BRONZE AT WORLD JUNIORS

Forward Matt Halischuk scored at 3:36 of overtime to lift Canada to a 3-2 win over Sweden in the gold-medal game at the world junior hockey championship on Saturday in Pardubice, Czech Republic.

Earlier Saturday, Russia defeated the Americans 4-2 in the bronze-medal game. Nikita Filatov and Alexei Cherepanov led the attack with three points each.

Tournament all-star team:

• Steve Mason, Canada — goaltender.
• Drew Doughty, Canada — defenceman.
• Victor Hedman, Sweden — defenceman.
• Patrik Berglund, Sweden — forward.
• Viktor Tikhonov, Russia — forward.
• James vanRiemsdyk, United States — forward.

The US will host the World Juniors in 2011, while Canada will play host for the tourney in 2010 and 2012.


Be sure to check out Minnesota Hockey on Demand tonight at 7pm on myfoxhockey.com